わり
わりに is a very useful word, but can be a bit confusing. 割り is the ます stem Noun form of 割る, a verb meaning “to split” or “to divide”.
It is usually written as 割 but may be written as 割り. (割 is apparently “more” correct, as least when used as a noun/adverb).
Suffix わり
~わり
~Discount
わり as a suffix means “discount”. You can think of it is an abbreviation of ”割引” (Percentage off).
- 早割 – Early bird discount.
- 団体割 – Group discount.
*Fun fact, 早割 is apparently trademarked or something, and the hotel I worked at was not allowed to say “早割” to advertise an early bird discount. We got calls about this on multiple different online booking sites.
As a counter
割
10%
割(わり) is a counter that is used to count 10%s. Yes, by 10s.
1割 is 10%, 2割 is 20%, etc.
- 仕事の6割はここで行われている。- About 60% of the work is done is performed here.
- 給料の7割は家賃や光熱費に使われる – About 70% of my paycheck is used for rent and utilities.
- 人の約1割は左利きだ – About 10% of people are left handed.
Please note that while you may say 10割, you will probably not say 0割, nor anything over 10.
わりに
割に・割と
Relatively
わりに is a noun + に (Adverbial に)meaning Relatively or Comparatively. This will sometimes appear as 割と, although originally only 割りに was considered correct. (Source)
割りに/と qualifies a statement as a comparison to something else.
- このかばんは割と安い – This bag is relatively cheap (Comparatively cheap).
- このホテルは割りに高い – This hotel is relatively expensive. (Compared to others).
- 彼は割りと優しい人だ – He is a relatively nice person. (Comparatively nice)
のわりに
のわりに
Disproportional to X
Another variation of this is のわりに. When modified by a noun (or verb), you may not use と instead of に.
This phrase typically expresses contrary information, as it relates to something else.
This is very commonly used with 年 (とし), so much so that you can practically learn it as a phrase.
This phrase also frequently adds the comparative は to become のわりには . (see also には)
- 年の割には賢い。- Clever for their age. (Disproportionately smart for their age)
- お茶の割には美味しい – This is pretty good for tea.
- 犬の割にはいいやつだ – You’re a good “guy” for a dog. (Said by someone who hates dogs)
の割に (and 割に) weakens the statement after it by qualifying it:
- 年の割に若く見える – You look young for your age.
- 若く見える – You look young.
の割に is basically interchangeable with にしては. (with Nouns)
の割に合わない
の割に合わない
Not worth it
A related phrase is の割に合わない. It is used to express something not being worth it (time, money, etc.)
割に合わない literally means: “isn’t proportional to”., but tends to be used for “worth” statements.
- このかばんは値段の割に合わない – This bag isn’t worth its price.
- その寺は入場料の割に合わない – That temple isn’t worth its entrance fee.
A Note about と and に
Both と and に can function to make the word before them an adverb. Typically, only に is used for non speech/quotable words, however there are certain ”と” adverbs, typically onomatopoeia.
Some words, however may take either. In this cases, to me, と feels like there is some emphasis on a surprise or unexpected result.
You should let your experience help you determine which you feel is most appropriate for a situation when they come up.